Danish coffee and juice import Joe & the Juice gained a big NYC following when they opened two locations in Soho last year. Earlier this month, they debuted their third storefront right in the middle of Midtown across from Bryant Park.

First there was Maple, now there is MealPass. Could the face of lunch change forever?

The newest online lunch platform started a month or so ago in Union Square and has now become available in Midtown. Eater has the details, but the way it works is lunchers subscribe to the service for $99 per month and then they get to choose each day from 45 restaurants located between 30th and 40th Street who will provide a meal ready to be picked up every single weekday lunch. Plus, subscribers get to skip the line when they show up to get their food.

On paper, it sounds like it might be worth trying out. If you break it down, that comes out to around $5 per lunch. That’s half the ML budget. Even when they rise the price to $119 per month, we’re still making out ok. The question remains: are the meals provided tasty and filling? And is it worth the time to go pick up each meal? We’d love to hear feedback from anybody who has given it a try or is thinking about it.

You can sign up for a membership and see a list of participating restaurants on their website here.

Posted by brianhoffman at 8:30 am, April 25th, 2016 under Uncategorized.

If you’re one of those who enjoys eating your lunch on the subway, you’re in luck. The newest food court opened last night in the Columbus Circle subway station tunnels. It’s called TurnStyle and will feature 20 food and drink options along with retail shops. The roster has been curated by Susan Fine, who was involved in the food court design at Grand Central.

Aside from the disappointing inclusion of Starbucks and Pressed Juicery, there are some pretty good potential Midtown Lunches on the list. See the full list of food shops here, but we’re most excited about a pop-up of Smorgasburg favorite Bolivian Llama Party, Middle Eastern grub at Semsom, fried-to-order doughnuts at Doughnuttery, and dumplings and noodles from Yong Kang Street Food.

Has anybody stopped by yet on their way to or from work? We’ll have a first look soon, but in the meantime, leave reactions in the comments below.

Posted by brianhoffman at 11:50 am, April 20th, 2016 under Columbus Circle.

Join us at City Kitchen on Thursday, March 31st for a birthday celebration!

New York City’s favorite food hall is celebrating its first full year of operation with the patrons that made it all possible. Each City Kitchen vendor will be passing out complimentary appetizer that will include Luke’s Lobster mini shrimp rolls, Gabriela’s mini tacos, Whitman’s upstate sliders, Dough’s mini doughnut holes, and an assortment of Azuki sushi samples. Vendors like Kuro Obi will also be creating specials in honor of the big day. Come to City Kitchen to taste them before they are off the menu! Guests who attend the event will enjoy cake, entertainment and more!

I wandered by BanzoBar on Third Ave and 57th the other day and saw that they had a big For Rent sign on the window. It looks like they’ve been shuttered since the beginning of the year. We’ve never been a huge fan of their falafel and pitas, but it’s always sad to see a small business go. The good news is both Omar’s and SoomSoom are just a few blocks away.

After trying the new paninis from Italian import Antico Noe, I was eager to re-visit the New York-grown Alidoro. I also recently learned that the company now offers a handful of hot toasted sandwiches at their Midtown location only.

Urban Space keeps changing their vendors. It appears that some, like Roberta’s, Red Hook Lobster, and Delaney Chicken, aren’t going anywhere any time soon. But other stalls are temporary. After the expected turnover of No. 7 Veggie to Kuro-Obi, news now comes of two other changes. The Asia Dog kiosk has morphed into the most opposite food stall possible: Liquiteria. Instead of kimchi-topped hot dogs, you can now get juices and acai bowls.

A slightly bigger win for gluttons is that the healthy Sips & Bites was replaced by the sushi burrito stylings of Hai Street Kitchen, according to Eater. We’ll also keep you up-to-date as other options come and go.

Posted by brianhoffman at 11:30 am, March 17th, 2016 under Urban Space.